FFS Audio Blogs

Renegotiating your small parcel agreements in an effort to lower your rates with your carriers is an effective way to lower your overall shipping spend. But don’t make the mistake of going in to the negotiation insufficiently prepared. Here are five key pointers for how to prepare yourself to succeed in your next small parcel rate negotiation.

Many businesses struggle to keep their small parcel shipping costs under control, especially with so few carriers to choose from. Here we explain how specialized logistics technology can help you control costs, streamline operations, and gain the insights of big data.

Shippers know that negotiating a strong carrier rate agreement is critical for controlling freight costs. So why are so many companies reluctant to take control of the negotiation process and get the rates they deserve? Here are three misunderstandings that cause freight shippers to stick with agreements they know are not the best they can get.

Inaccuracies and errors on invoices can be costly and time-consuming. For example, a parcel shipment that starts as an estimated $50 can end up costing $80 by the time the invoice is received. Knowing where costly shipping mistakes can occur can help shippers control their spend. We explain where to look for these errors, what to look for, and how technology can help.

Do you ever really know that you have got the best rates you possibly can when you negotiate a freight or small parcel agreement? When you come out of a rate negotiation, there’s often that niggling feeling that you have left some money on the table. In this episode, we look at two ways you can close the information gap for your next rate negotiation, plus a strategy for using your rate agreement to keep your freight or small parcel costs down.

One increasingly important way companies can create a better experience for the customer, manage costs, and set themselves apart from the competition is by mastering reverse logistics. Smart logistics managers understand that how customer returns are managed can have a big impact on profits. In this episode, we look at five areas where online retailers and logistics managers can influence how customer returns are handled for a positive effect on both the customer experience and profits.

Would an additional distribution center help your business to meet customers’ increasing demands for quick delivery? The ability of companies like Amazon to deliver certain items sometimes within only two hours is ramping up the pressure for other retailers to do the same. And in a domino effect, these expectations have carried through to the B2B world. In this episode, we look at the factors to take into account to decide whether adding a new distribution center is the right decision for your business.

Smart shippers are not only mixing and matching UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service for the best rates by lanes. A lot of shippers are now also leveraging regional small parcel carriers to build their most optimized delivery network — and for many it is paying off. In this episode, we look at how to determine if utilizing regional carriers would pay off for your business.